I'm going to try and skip the pity party here and be direct but if the readers want me to elaborate I am happy to at their request and per their requests. A chapter of my life was coming to a close and I was in a black hole in extremely rural (think 70 miles down mountains in any given direction to reach society) Colorado and reaching escape velocity was getting more and more difficult as the years began to pile on but I stayed for the sake of my daughter and managed to get by. She finally achieved the magic birthday and while she loves her old man she's no fool, she put Colorado in the rearview to establish her own future and I don't blame her a bit.

I got hit by a drunk driver literally flying in a Subaru WRX on CO 115 in 2021 and it screwed me up a bit but I was fortunate and I lived to fight another day. After managing to financially gain how I could with that (not much after lawyers and medical) I decided to take my little nest egg and try to put my roots somewhere a bit more favorable. I ended up in Kansas City, MO around Christmas of 2022 and the whole pandemic thing seemed to be dying down and life was returning to normal (I ended up getting the 'vid again anyway lmao) so I went with it. Fast forward to July 2023, my trusty rusty pickup broke down right outside of Harrisonville and with it's dying power I managed to coast to the shoulder between a weigh station and the highway. Truck was not something I could fix in that moment so I hit the hazards, left the hood up, ran straps to the front of the frame and started walking towards the next exit to figure out a tow off of the highway or the next step of my plan.

About four steps away from my truck something weird happened. Seven days had passed. That was one of the hottest days on record but I was suddenly cool. My soaked t-shirt was now a dress. The highway in front of me was a TV now... Apparently someone yelling at their kids in the backseat hit my disabled truck going 80 and never even touched the brakes. This snapped the drive axle of my truck and threw it forward in to me, about 20ft away. Thank goodness I love a standard transmission and always turn my wheels when I park and thank goodness it was a little Mitsubishi import and a ground hugger because she threw me across the weigh station ramp and onto the shoulder before slamming into the barricade instead of rolling over me. I'll skip all the gory details but suffice to say the truck had made up for every time I kicked it or slammed a hood while working on it and frustrated.

In that initial moment my life changed in ways that could never change back. I'm now stuck in another rural town just barely managing to scrape by and wouldn't you know it, another settlement that sounds great until doctors and attorneys show up and I'm back up the creek. I managed to buy myself a very basic no frills F150 out of the settlement and it got the job done until it needed coolant, weird it was fine when I got it but I added some. Then it needed oil. Oh, that film wasn't on the cap when I bought it... This ass clown got me with a fresh oil change and fresh coolant and I didn't think much of it because he was literally a preacher at a church in Blue Springs, MO. I can't afford to flush the cooling system and put in a pour -a-gasket (I know, I know, I sure can't afford a new head gasket though) to buy some time and fresh oil and coolant. Which brings me to the final bit...

I have a friend in Florida who is able to help with my daily care and is able to house me but they aren't living the dream life either and they are fairly paycheck to paycheck. I had my own business in Colorado and things occured in such a way that I didn't earn any work credits so disability isn't an option. I do have an SSDI attorney and I'm sure that will be great news in another decade... possibly, maybe. I need to get from the Truman Lake area of Missouri to Jacksonville, FL and with my truck in it's current condition I am estimating 250-300$ in gasoline to make the drive, if it makes the drive. The cost for the supplies to pour a gasket in her and try to stretch life on her out a bit is about the same and I have a "shopping list" in PDF format I am happy to share.

If anyone can help in any way possible I would be beyond grateful. As it stands I have .15 cents in the bank, an eighth of a tank of gas and no idea what I am going to do next or how I am going to handle rent next month. I am completely agreeable to just picking things up from the parts store or having someone just pick a gas station agreeable to letting me fuel up and I will go where I'm directed. I know the world is a screwed up place and trust is hard to give and while I can't do much to earn trust in advance I can try and help minimize the fear of risk. The only concern I have is really the fuel situation, I can hold about 70-80$ worth of fuel at a time and I don't want to end up marooned halfway there if help backs out on me and I am unable to fuel up again but I am open to ideas. I can likely make the drive in a straight shot so lodging isn't an issue or I can just pull over and sleep in the truck. A means to get breakfast come sunrise (I'm a night driver) and a couple of cold drinks on the way would be very much appreciated. I can't think of anything else that would be an issue.

Thanks for reading my story and I appreciate you.